starve Alas for how little a time is this curious frame of the Divine architecture of this body of man raised In how small a revolution of time doth it fall into pieces He cometh up upon the stage and walks a few turns and acts a short part whether tragical or comical it may be applauded it may be not it may be plays the part of a religious man in the old notion of an hypocrite then retires untires and is not Like a variegated tulip by degrees which opens and then blazeth a small space and then rolls and shuts it self up again Even so this man cometh out of the same bed riseth and spreadeth and by and by dwindles and withers and goeth to bed again Man is as a continual miracle that all the gimmers should any time consist and when he ceaseth he ceaseth not to be admired in the consequences of one exhalation How many curious imaginations were nested and breeding in his brain which he hoped in good time would have been flegge and would have come out of their causes to good effect and on a sodain all dead in the nest What a vast distance is there made in an instant betwixt himself by the change What a muss and scramble doth this evaporation of life make amongst those who minde other mens deaths more then their own who watch to catch what they can when a tree fals that hath any fruit upon it if it be near them If we live to age we have the more time and longer death For then death as Plato saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 takes security of us for the whole by an Eye or an Ear takes away our sight or our hearing But who can promise himself to run through so many providences to that time which every one would come to and when they are at it they are weary of Indeed as the Heathen said We have not little time but do lose much Nothing so pretious as that which so many take care to drive away Time follows the motion of heaven our time should We cannot spend it better nor improve it then for Eternity Is not this great Babel which I have built for the house of the Kingdom by the might of my power for the honour of my Majesty said Nebuchadnezzar but what then Nay that is all can be said of it or him All makes but great confusion And the greatest condition is the greatest vanity What is this to a man not to say to a Philosopher much less to a Christian what is this to a man that he hath been some body in the the world and hath strutted it here and taken up so much ground as if he would not have his neighbours walk by him What is all this What will it come to Wherein will it be resolved One meditation of death is better then all the world For that may bring in also good works which will follow one after death so the Poet also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Only this godliness goes along with men in death whether men live or dye it perisheth not Godliness is profitable for all thigs and hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come as St. Paul 1 Tim. 4.8 This life that now is is now and but now for ought we know Every moment we change a possibility of death with life Therefore let us not trouble our selves for much provision for there is another life in the promise and this life is very short Let us make it longer by doing more good lest when we die nothing follow us neither good words on earth nor good works to heaven nothing but sorrow without a virtue after judgment without mercy Take notice of a day of judgment God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he raised him from the dead Act. 17.31 When we stand before this judge what shall we say How shall we answer Who shall answer for us Thou shalt answer for me O Lord my God as the Psalmist speaks There is no such answer as Christ doth make For he answers by satisfaction and payment of that punishment which was due to us and of that obedience which was due from us The hand-writing of works which was against us he hath blotted out hath taken away hath nailed unto his Crosse Coloss 2.14 Christ hath made sure of this bond It is blotted out It is taken away It is nailed unto his Crosse And it is nailed with such a nail as he was nailed with such a nail as makes it immoveable for this nail was above all price We are not like to be ashamed of our hope in Christ when he cometh to be our Judge He that is the Judge is our Advocate our Jesus our Saviour He will not passe sentence against his own pleading and satisfaction Therefore Grotius when he was dying had his full understanding when for his last words almost he said to him that reminded him of Christ for salvation thus as it is recorded of him In solo Christo omnis spes mea reposita est all my hope is reposed only in Christ He could not die well without Christ his satisfaction He cannot answer without it at the day of judgment But yet our actions will be discussed though they be pardoned that those who shall see others to have committed as great sins as they may by reflexion be more punished because they did not repent and believe and that those who have repented and believed may see the fruit of their virtues when others who have not done worse are condemned and that they may glorifie God for that grace which hath discerned them If we would have this severe tribunall in our thoughts we should more consider what we are doing and what account we shall be able to give of it then when our own conscience if Christ who is God did not know it shall bear witness against us in that judgment unto the expectation whereof it hath privately prepared us Did we think upon these things as we ought would we adventure so dreadfull a reckoning for so little so short pleasure or profit or honour Would we throw away our immortall souls upon a presumption that what we do may be lawfull if we did perpend and ponder it within us that this would be called over again in that supreme judicature wherein we shall be sentenced not according to our opinion of it which blind lust hath impetuously huddled up but according to the proportion it doth beare to the law of God which we are bound to know Weigh it then beforehand whether thy subtil distinction will bear any weight in that even balance of the high Court of justice Will not thy waxie distinction melt at the fire of that great day Will this washie distinction have any substance and depth when it shall be openly brought into the examination and decision of
after imposition of them by lawful authority they are yet in the state and condition of things indifferent for even in these things charity bindes against the use of liberty in point of scandal And so we shall make nothing of authority and so we shall disanul the Ordinance and Laws of God 3. Whensoever they do not obey they give scandal to some or other therefore as towards practice they should always obey 4. Had they the authority and power in their hands would they be contented with such obedience No they would not be contented but would have the world know that their laws are the laws of Christ and whosoever is not obedient is a rebel to Christ And therefore though I have no minde to differ from any one yet if I have liberty of conscience I cannot in conscience joyn with them in this their supposition Neither can we imagin how those cases of scandal and contempt can give satisfaction when they are applyed unto the former texts which require obedience Are we to give obedience to the law of God which commands obedience to the laws of men rightly qualified only in case of scandal or can we conceive that under obedience to lawful Magistrates in lawful things there is no more to be understood then if there be no scandal by inobedience no contempt by disobedience Shall we think he hath no power in things indifferent for if his power be only in the punishing of those who are breakers of the Laws of God and rewarding of those that are observers thereof then is our obedience injoyned to him only passive Therefore if the question be thus stated whether humane laws do binde the Conscience in these terms absolutely taken it is denied because we are assured that no man hath of himself any authority over the conscience and because we cannot be assured that that which is commanded by virtue of his command is right but if the question be stated thus Whether we are bound in conscience to obey a lawful Magistrate in lawful commands not only in the former respects I have no scruple sufficient against the affirmative One Argument may be this All Gods Commandements doe binde in conscience That we should be obedient to humane laws is one of Gods Commandements and therefore are we bound in conscience to be obedient to humane laws because we are bound to Gods law concerning them By the Law Divine we are obliged in conscience to them by manner of the object of the thing If we compare the humane law with the Divine law touching it the humane law in the whole is considered but as a particular matter of the Divine law And if we be bound in conscience to the law of God in all matters of it how should we not be bound to the Law of God in this So that if we do not obey we do not offend a weak brother only but the great God by whom Kings reign 2. We are more bound to our Civil Parents then children are bound to their natural Parents But children are bound in conscience to their natural Parents so then we are bound in conscience to our Civil Parents That we are more subject to our Civil Parents appeareth in several regards because first the dayes we are preserved in are more happy then those we were born in since the condition of our birth is uncertain as the Orator saith well 2. The natural Parent hath not authority of life and death over the childe as the Civil Parent hath which is given him immediately by God as is noted since the people even upon supposal of election cannot give him this as having not power over their own lives And 3. Because even the natural Parents are subjects to the Civil Parent so that if the natural parent should bid his childe do one thing and the Civil parent should bid him do another the command of the natural parent must be sinked in obedience to the Civil as the rule is The precept of the inferior doth not binde when it is contrary to the precept of the superior Now for the Assumption that children are bound in conscience to be obedient to their parents who in conscience can deny since they have this impression in them by law of nature which bindes the natural conscience as Rom. 2.15 and because also their obedience hath a Divine promise annexed to the command of God that they should be obedient to them Ephes 6.2 Honour there is to be expounded by obedience in the first verse Now what promise can we say is made by God but in order to such obedience as we are not in conscience free to Indeed they should be obedient to their parents in the Lord as in the text But this doth not derogate from their due obedience but doth qualifie it It doth not abate their subjection in those things wherein they should be subject but doth restrain the extension of it Or it doth terminate their obedience in God doth not withdraw any lawful respect to their parents therefore the next words in the 2. verse are Honour thy Father and thy Mother Thus in brief as towards our obligations to laws Civil and the goodness of obedience thereunto But some there are who will make a difference betwixt our obligedness to laws Civil and laws Ecclesiastical To this in few and in way of propositions First with us the supreme authority for the constitution of Ecclesiastical things is the same and therefore there can be no difference on that part And as for them who hold that no Civil authority is necessary to the sanction of orders for the Church if they could make their supposition good they would further the conclusion for so the authority is more immediately from Christ himself 2. Ecclesiastical constitutions which have the same authority with us in regard of their original issue of Supreme power are like to binde as much as Civil by reason of as great assistance to be presumed for the framing of them as for the framing of those which are political since we have a promise from Christ of his blessing successively to the greatest actions to be sure of the Church in the end of St. Matthew I will be with you to the end of the world which doth not only respect Credends but Agends also And there is a reason of such assistance in order to the third proposition The peace of the Church unto which the Ecclesiastical constitutions doe binde in uniformity is as considerable as the peace of the Nation And if then the political laws do binde as to the preservation of the publique good in order and peace and strength and plenty then why should not laws of the Church be as valid in obliging unto unity and peace and order and defence against the adversaries thereof And this is strengthned by the fourth proposition which respects the end of all the orders of the Church which is better to dispose them by the means of grace which are dispensed in
magis bonus sed quia minus malus not because he was more good but because he was less evil 3. We cannot tell what mercy may be laid up in him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledg therefore we cannot absolutely say that Christ in his infinite wisdome and knowledge doth not know though it be secret to us some way of applying the benefit of his death even unto those of the Heathens who lived orderly And if they shall not be condemned for their unbelief as is generally believed of Christians we cannot say that the merit of Christ may not be indulged unto some of them who have been careful to live regularly to such laws as they found within them although they have not done optimum quod sic as no Christian ever did live proportionably to his principles And if the bloud of Christ may be secretly sprinkled upon Infants who cannot know Christ some would think it may as well be communicated in the merit of it to some of age who have not known Christ But 4. We must leave this in medio and refer them to God To their own Master they stand or fall We can conclude no otherwise then according to the minde of God in his Word Act. 4.12 For there is not salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved no other name given amongst men or given for men as it may be rendred by an Enallage of the preposition which doth absolutely exclude any other cause or author of salvation So that if any of them be saved they must be saved by the merits of Christ But it is not necessary to our purpose to say any more of this question unless we could determin it affirmatively Then it would serve us for an infinite motive unto this morality And yet the second query Whether morality is to be accounted of by Christians we may and ought to put an affirmative to and we shall make up the answer in some propositions also 1. Morality ut sic is considerable even in its native rational principles as whatsoever is conformable to any rational principles hath a pulchritude and beauty naturally belonging thereunto And thus all moral actions are good in their kinde as being solid and true to positive principles 2. The same actions in specie which do in Heathens refer to temperance and righteousness are to be done by Christians through the virtue of an higher principle namely grace which directeth the understanding by a greater light and inclineth the will by an higher motive of obedience to God therein So that the matter of the morality which respects the second Table is to be exercised by principles of the first and it is to be done out of the love of God fear of God So Joseph to his Brethren Do this for I fear God Gen. 42.18 He doth demonstrate fair dealing towards them by his fear of God and therefore obedience to God in temperance and righteousness do come under the duties of the Gospel and the lessons thereof as we have it clearly delivered by St. Paul Tit. 2.11 The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly godlily and righteously in this present world c. to the end of the chapter where we have the end of the Gospel to make men zealous of good works and if the use of the Gospel be to make men zealous of good works surely then it is not improper to the Gospel to make men zealous of just works Therefore 3. Although the Christian as such is above morality as resulting from the dictates of meer reason yet the Christian as such is not above morality in the matter of obedience to God in the duties of the second Table He is to do them also with diligence and care although he doth them upon an higher account For 1. There is the same legislative authority in the second Table as in the first He that said Thou shalt have no other Gods but me said also Honour thy Father and thy Mother thy Natural Civil and Ecclesiastical Parents He that forbad all spiritual fornication in false worship forbad also all carnal fornication He that in the affirmative included doth command all worship to him doth also command us to give whatsoever is due to our neighbour He that hath injoyned us not to swear hath also forbidden us to deceive our neighbour by lying or stealth or any kinde of frand He that hath commanded us not to take the Name of the Lord in vain hath also commanded us not to bear false witnes against our neighbor He that commanded to keep holy the Sabbath hath commanded also not to covet So that all the laws of the second Table come under the account and rate of the same service to God They have the inforcement of the same Author and the object person of their obedience is the same namely God although they differ in their matter and in the object of the matter for the first Table hath God the object of the matter thereof the second hath man for the object of the matter but God is the object of obedience in the second Table too because he gives the law And therefore though man be the object of the external act yet God is the object of the internal act wherein the formal consideration of obedience doth consist And if we do not these actions towards men which are contained in the second Table in the fear of God in love of him and in respect to him we do them not in way of obedience but upon some other respect And so in regard of author in regard of principle and in regard of end the whole law is one copulative 2. This morality in the matter of it is worthy of a Christian and it becometh him well because it is more difficult for him to perform the outward acts of it then the outward acts of the first Table upon two considerations First because the obedience to the second Table in some Commandements at least workes against carnal lust whereas there is no carnal lust which doth work against the obedience to the first Table in the outward acts thereof Secondly because there is less disprofit in outward obedience to the first Table as in hearing reading praying talking of Religion urging this or that way of the Church then in the obedience to the second Table by breaking whereof we think we can mend our estates well and yet come off handsomely with the world in the greater practise of more outward holiness And thus our singularity in outward piety may also be of use to our interest and by a stickling in outward reformation we may raise a dust to blinde mens eyes so far as they may easily think that while we have our eyes lifted up to heaven we are not like to have an hand in their pockets 3. This morality
more confident or if they could draw him down and he not draw them up they might raise up their crests but he knoweth their day is coming And when the mighty Lord will he draws them up to him in faith and obedience and heavenliness that they may look for signs of Gods favour from his right hand in spiritual things not from his left hand in temporals But I have hitherto kept no order in grief We have so many objects which call for sorrow and so importunately that we are confounded in perplexities and know not whereupon to begin our first fruits of tears And yet O blessed Saviour the first fruits do belong of due to thee who hast redeemed the world by more then tears even bloud Thou who camest into the world to expiate our sins with the price of thy bloud mayst justly require that they should cost us tears also least they should not seem to go out as they came in too much by our eyes Thou that badest the daughters of Jerulem to weep not for thee but for themselves and their children Luk. 23.28 didst therein shew rather thy ingenuity then their duty As if thou shouldst bid us sit at thy Table in receiving the Communion which yet thou hast not done it would be rusticity in us not to interpret thy courtesie by our reverence of thy Divinity We have read of one that came laughing into the world but was not happy in it Yet if there were any born without tears surely there was none born again without tears And we have reason to weep because Christ was born for us who deserved to dye We should dye before we sin although we sinned in our first Parents before we were born and he lived that he might dye that we might live and not dye eternally He had a better life before he was born and should he live such a life for us And if you say that we have reason to rejoyce that he was born for us that is true too And yet we have cause of sorrow that upon our occasion he thus humbled himself to be man for man We may weep for joy and his sorrow And can we tell how to avoid a lamentation for his bitter passion and death with such pain and shame Shall the Sun be darkned and we not in mourning Shall the rocks be rent and not our garments Shall the graves be opened and our hearts shut Shall the Earth shake and we not moved the vail of the Templerent and we remain undisturbed O Christian he shed bloud thou sheddest tears Compare now bloud and tears Christ and thee And what disproportion And yet how much greater disproportion if thou dost not shed tears What have we to do here now in this valley of tears but to weep Open the floud-gates and let them pour out That sowre Apple which was eaten by us in Paradise may make our eyes water that we are foolishly fallen into such a necessity that the Son of God must mediate a peace with his life and death But why should we mourn for our sins since they are pardoned Yes Oh more Weep for thy sins because they are committed but weep for them more because they are pardoned This love this mercy is an argument which enters into the soul and makes it go as it were through fire and water inflames it and melts it into ingenuous sorrow which is more abundant for such a pardon after such provocations Nothing is in effect so coactive as love nor formally less because it makes us so willing The love of Christ constraineth us as the Apostle speaks I am ashamed to be so often pardoned as he he said to a gratious Prince whom he had been disloyal often to as if in abhorrence of his iniquities he would have a punishment as being more able to bear it then the weight of the courtesie clemency O my Saviour since thou hast been pleased to wish my soul in thy bloud let me also wash it in my tears not to make it whiter but because it hath been so foul not to adde to thy righteousness for what can be added to that which is infinite by me who am nothing but to do justice upon my self for all my sins which have put thee to all this trouble for me But how soon shall we want water for the bewailing of one sin How little shall we then have for all and so great as a Christian makes them had they no other aggravation O my God it is easier for thee to pardon my sins then for me to number them and therefore how shall I be able to sprinkle the remembrance of all my sins with a little water of repentance And since my sins are in number as the hairs of my head how will there be drops enough of my eyes that I may have but a drop for every sin And since they are in number as the sands by the Sea should not I have a Sea of this salt-water for my sins O make my sorrow more that I may have more joy for now in this condition of sinners there is left us no joy but after sorrow or out of it Let me never be dry lest I burn specially let this humour more abound when we have for it the good seasons of the Church to move them or when we have too much opportunity of our own bad practices to deserve them But let me on one day of the year not be without good store of this affliction And what day can that be but on the Passion day Let me think upon Christ then and if I think upon him then as can I but think upon him let me think upon him passionately lest I be not a Christian any day of the year because not then Blessed Saviour who didst bid thy servant St. Peter to come to thee upon the water help me to come to thee upon this water of repentance and stretch out thy hand lest I sink yea also since my tears are not clean but have earth and filth in them and therefore they need tears and those tears other tears and so to infinity therefore do thou wash even my tears also in the pure fountain of thy most pretious bloud lest I go into such sorrow as should be because my sorrow is not such as it should be And for as much as I have no tears to spare for the world let me and my enemies have no more sorrow then in a virtue And if they have none let me have the more until I may be like them without a fault We have not yet therefore done our wet work We are not yet over the water for Jerusalem our Jerusalem is in the suds After we have lamented our spiritual condition that we are no better we have great occasion to lament the publick that it is so bad undone with wars rent in pieces with schisms overgrown with heresies groaning under its burthen of error and sin and trembling under the decay of its foundations The